


Who is the Mechanic?

by Akira_of_the_Twilight



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Abduction, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Brainwashing, Hydra (Marvel), Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, Memory Loss, References to Civil War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-14
Updated: 2016-06-14
Packaged: 2018-07-15 00:19:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7197479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akira_of_the_Twilight/pseuds/Akira_of_the_Twilight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Asset watched as his handlers brought in a stranger—a man with a metal object stuck to his chest that was hooked to a car battery.</p>
<p>The handlers shoved the man onto the stool where many who had operated on the Asset’s arm in the past had sat before.</p>
<p>“Asset,” one handler said, “meet the Mechanic. He will be responsible for the upkeep of your arm. Should anything malfunction, kill him.”</p>
<p>The Asset eyed the Mechanic. The Mechanic was glassy-eyed and unresponsive.</p>
<p>He’d probably be dead in a week.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who is the Mechanic?

**Author's Note:**

> "Tony gets taken by Hydra and gets brainwashed/injected with a version of the serum. He looks younger, he heals faster and he doesn't remember anything from before. He becomes Hydras weapon. The team finds him during a mission, they try to coax him back as he fights them. It isn't until Bucky engages him that he finally starts remembering. (Being that Tony and him was in a relationship before Tony was kidnapped.)"
> 
>  
> 
> Combined with:
> 
>  
> 
> "AU where Tony was captured by HYDRA instead of the Ten Rings (If there isn’t one already)? Through mind wipes and reprogramming, The Winter Soldier has always had his partner, The Mechanic, a memory HYDRA can’t wipe. When Steve helps Bucky break the programming, everything is sunshine and roses. Except The Winter Soldier remembers The Mechanic, and Bucky doesn’t. Maybe they find Tony later or maybe Tony breaks his own programming, builds iron man and blows HYDRA up, I’m easy. thanks ! <3" 

The Asset watched as his handlers brought in a stranger—a man with a metal object stuck to his chest that was hooked to a car battery.

The handlers shoved the man onto the stool where many who had operated on the Asset’s arm in the past had sat before.

“Asset,” one handler said, “meet the Mechanic. He will be responsible for the upkeep of your arm. Should anything malfunction, kill him.”

The Asset eyed the Mechanic. The Mechanic was glassy-eyed and unresponsive.

He’d probably be dead in a week.

“Understood,” the Asset replied.

The handlers made a sound of approval.

One smacked the Mechanic on the shoulder. “Get to work.”

The Mechanic reached for the Asset’s arm and began looking it over.

Calloused fingers ran over the panels of the Asset’s arm. The Asset watched as the Mechanic studied every dip and curve of the arm.

The handlers talked to themselves as they left the room.

The Asset paid them little mind, more intrigued by the Mechanic’s assessing and curious touch.

The Mechanic didn’t speak, and the Asset was fine with that. The silence was comforting.

Once the Mechanic had rid himself of the car battery and had found a new and strange glowing device to put in his chest, he became the Asset’s shadow.

At first the handlers kept the Mechanic away, but out of amusement or some machination that the Asset was not privy too, they eventually decided to let the Mechanic follow the Asset.

The Mechanic always touched the Asset’s arm. Always checked that the arm was working properly.

The Asset often huffed and shoved the Mechanic away, but the Mechanic was determined. It didn’t take long for the Asset to accept the prodding touches as routine.

The Asset had not realized how much though the Mechanic cared for the arm until one of the Asset’s sparring matches between himself and a potential second Winter Soldier occurred. The Asset had made a mistake, and his opponent had seized him by the metal arm and yanked the arm partially out of the socket. The Asset broke free from the hold and was about to charge in with a flurry of attacks that would send his opponent to the floor where the Asset could then make the would-be killing blow; however, the Mechanic jumped in front of him.  

The move startled the Asset into hesitating.

It was enough time for his opponent to draw their knife and attack.

The efficient and smart move would have been to grab the Mechanic and use him as a shield, instead the Asset swung his body so the Mechanic was forced behind him as he stopped his opponent’s attack with his weaker arm.

The knife was stopped, but his opponent still had another hand, and his opponent rained punches on him.

His vision blurred and the scent and taste of copper filled his nostrils and mouth. Through it all, the Asset still managed to see the lithe form of the Mechanic leap onto his opponent.

The Mechanic clawed and punched.

The Asset’s opponent tried to knock the Mechanic away, yet somehow the Mechanic ended up half on the back of the opponent.

The Asset seized his own knife and attacked, stabbing his opponent in the heart.

The corpse stumbled backward.

The Asset yanked the Mechanic off the opponent so he wouldn’t be crushed when the corpse finally fell.

The Mechanic clung to his metal arm and watched as the corpse finally hit the ground.

The Asset’s handlers shouted and cursed as many of them rushed to examine the corpse.

The Asset wasn’t supposed to kill his opponent—just push his opponent to his breaking point.

The Mechanic caressed the Asset’s arm.

The Asset glanced at the Mechanic.

Their eyes locked.

He had protected the Mechanic, and the Mechanic had protected him. Protection was not something easily given. It was self-endangering and foolish—it was something that the Asset should not give, and should not expect to receive.

As the handlers cursed and argued, the Asset turned so he was angled between the handlers and the Mechanic. He reached out and touched one of the hands caressing his metal arm.

For a moment all he did was merely touch the Mechanic’s hand.

Slowly the Mechanic turned his palm upward and squeezed the Asset’s fingers.

The Asset was a weapon—a tool—and should not feel anything, yet the warm feeling the gesture created in his chest could only be pleasure.

* * *

The Asset was confused.

He’d been taken out of storage and the Mechanic was looking over his arm, but the Mechanic was younger.

The Asset’s memory was a haze, yet since the Mechanic had been put in charge of maintaining the Asset’s chair, the Asset had an easier time recalling the Mechanic and the faces of his handlers. Time had been passing quickly. Each sleep lasted months. He’d watched the Mechanic age from his thirties to forties.

Now though, the Mechanic must be in his mid-twenties. Where his baby fat had disappeared years ago it had returned to his cheeks. The crows feet that had been at the corner of his eyes were gone. His skin was unblemished. He also had muscles where he hadn’t before.

The Mechanic paused in the middle of his examine and stared at the Asset.

The Mechanic cocked his head, a silent question.

The Asset glanced around the room. Hydra was always watching; he knew this, yet there was a spark in him—something that shouldn’t be but was. He wanted to defy them.

He wanted to comfort the Mechanic, who must have become one of their experiments while he was sleeping.

The Asset sat up in the chair and leaned toward the Mechanic. He cupped the Mechanic’s cheek. His eyes lingered on the lips of the Mechanic, asking a silent question.

The Mechanic licked his lips and nodded his head.

The Asset closed the distance between them.

The Mechanic’s lips were soft yet chapped even after the Mechanic’s unconscious act of moistening them. The Mechanic sighed into the kiss, and the Asset moved his lips, encouraging the Mechanic to deepen the kiss and explore each other.

The Asset heard the pounding footsteps of Hydra agents approaching the room.

The Asset kissed more fiercely, not sure when he’d next get to do so.

The Mechanic moaned, increasing his mouth’s movements too.

Their kiss turned sloppy, yet the Asset still wished for it to continue even as he and the Mechanic were pried away from each other.

Less than an hour later, the Asset braced himself as he chair hummed to life and his memory was wiped. 

* * *

Steve Rogers flipped through the journal left in the shabby apartment where his sources told him Bucky should be. There were notes about Bucky’s life scribbled inside the book, along with photos of Steve. Steve skimmed the pages as he flipped through the journal. There were accounts from Bucky’s life before he was the Winter Soldier, and then in heavier and messier scrawl there were recollections from his time with Hydra.

Steve heard movement behind him and whirled.

The haunted face of his best friend greeted him. 

* * *

Steve paced up and down the hall outside the psychologist’s office. Bucky was supposed to have finished his session five minutes ago. He knew he was fretting over nothing, but Bucky was his family—was the last person left from his past life before any of this future crap involving secret spy organizations and aliens claiming to be gods happened. For years now it felt like Steve had been being pushed closer and closer to his breaking point, and with Peggy gone and having almost lost Bucky to some government asshole who’d wanted to kill Bucky without a fair trial, Steve wasn’t sure he could take another hit.

Sam sighed and stood up from the chair where he’d been waiting with Steve. Sam still hadn’t quite forgiven Bucky for almost killing him when he was the Winter Soldier, but Sam knew how much Bucky meant to Steve and was providing Steve with the emotional support he needed.

Sam clamped Steve on the shoulder. “This is just a regular therapy session. Bucky’s already gone through his psych eval and is no longer in danger. He’s a free man, Steve.”

Steve let out a tight breath. “I know. I just—”

The door to the psychologist’s office opened, and Bucky stepped out. He looked exhausted, but he forced a smile on his face when he saw Steve. “You keep worrying about me and you’re going to get wrinkles. Who’s going to kiss ya then?”

The gentle tease eased something in Steve, and Steve smiled back. “Always have to be a smartass, don’t you?”

Sam snorted in amusement. “Look who’s talking.”

* * *

Bucky stared down at his journal. There was a new entry, but it wasn’t from him.

In the heavy scrawl of the Winter Soldier was one question:

**Where is the Mechanic?**

“’The Mechanic?’” Steve’s brow pinched.

Bucky nodded, holding out the journal for Steve to see.

Natasha was already typing away on her tablet. She frowned as she skimmed through information. “Nothing comes up right away.” She looked up. “We released all of Hydra’s files a few years ago. If the Mechanic is not turning up then—”

“You released all the files you found,” Bucky stated. His insides turned to steel and a determined blaze filled his gut. “Who says you found every file?”

Steve took the journal and looked it over, still appearing puzzled.

Natasha pursed her lips and tapped something on her tablet. “I’ll keep looking into it, but the answers you are looking for are not going to be easy to find. You also may not like what you learn.”

Bucky knew that, but his instincts told him that this Mechanic was one mystery he needed to solve. 

* * *

“A legion of robots?” Clint huffed through the comms. Hundreds of robots rose up in the air, preparing to attack all of New York. “I’m not sure if I like them more or less than an alien army.”

“Depends how well built they are and how hackable their programming is,” Natasha answered.

“Doesn’t matter,” Steve said. “Everyone, move out. Keep civilians safe, and find out who is controlling these things and from where.”

Everyone gave their assent.

Bucky positioned himself on the rooftop and took out robots where he could. He needed to be precise with his shots. A bullet could do a lot of damage to a living being, but on a robot there only few places he could shoot that would shut the robot off.

After many hours, the legion of robots was destroyed.

“Stark tech.” Natasha dropped a robot head onto the debriefing table. “Lower quality, but the programming and design are similar to Tony Stark’s handiwork before he was killed about a decade ago.” Natasha pulled out her tablet and flipped it around so everyone could see two images of coding. Natasha pointed to two lines of code that looked very similar. “It’s his signature.”

“So someone is copying a dead guy’s coding techniques?” Sam asked.

“Someone from Stark industries, you think?” Clint wrinkled his nose. “Everyone knows the CEO Obadiah Stane is a crook. Wouldn’t surprise me if he’s the one behind the attack, except why would he do it?”

Steve stood up. “We can ask him why when we visit him today.”

Bucky joined Steve in standing. “So this Tony guy, Howard’s kid or something?”

“Howard’s son.” Natasha nodded. She tapped on her tablet again. “Highly intelligent and filled with potential, but also the typical spoiled, rich, child with easy access to drugs and alcohol. He didn’t mind indulging at all. Although he did start cutting back a bit before he died. Still very much a playboy though.” Once again, Natasha flipped the tablet over for everyone to see.

Bucky’s mind went blank at the image of Tony Stark displayed on the tablet.

Soon after, everything faded to black.

When Bucky woke he was strapped down to a bed, and Steve was seated at his feet.

Bucky tugged on his restraints. Easily breakable. They were more or less meant for slowing him down, but not actually intended to keep him pinned to the bed. Bucky suspected that Steve played a key role in that decision.

“Bucky?” Steve asked.

Bucky grunted. “It’s me.”

Steve sighed. “Thank god.”

“I’m guessing I wasn’t me for a moment there?”

Steve shook his head. “We know who the Mechanic is now.”

Bucky squeezed his eyes shut as thousands of memories swam to the surface. So many “first” kisses, tender hands always touching him, sneaky embraces and hand holding, a sense of comfort and trust, and hours spent sitting in a chair as Tony took all the time in world maintaining Bucky’s arm and ensuring that he felt little to no pain throughout the entire experience.

Bucky took a shaky breath. “Yeah, me too.” 

* * *

Bucky’s heart pounded as he fought his way through the Hydra base where Tony was supposedly located.

One of the robots launched a rocket from its shoulder, and Bucky dodged and ducked for cover as the rocket exploded upon impact.

Bucky gritted his teeth. He’d come too close to lose Tony now. This was the third base the Avengers had raided, and each time there had been proof of Tony’s presence, but they had never been able to rescue him in time.

He wasn’t going to lose Tony again.

Bucky rolled out from his cover and jumped onto the robot. He tore into its wires, forcing it to shut down.

“Target found,” Steve said into the comms. “Engaging.”

Bucky heart fluttered with hope and fright.

Steve had found Tony.

Bucky wanted to take off and run to where Steve was, but he knew better. He had to clear out his section of the base or else risk the team receiving a nasty surprise because he hadn’t made sure that there weren’t agents or robots that could sneak up on them or detonate a bomb of some sort.

There was a loud bang and Steve grunted.” Target-“ Steve coughed and started again “-target is enhanced. Super strength. Do not engage directly.”

“You saying this guy doesn’t want to be saved?” Clint asked.

Bucky threw open the door to the next room, scanning it for Hydra agents. “He’s sayin’ Tony has no idea what the fuck is going on and can bash your skull in if you get too close, so just stick to your arrows, birdbrain.”

“Someone’s in a mood,” Clint commented.

“Someone’s a protective son of a bitch,” Sam corrected. “Also, if this goes anything like it did when I first meet you, Buck, you can expect your boyfriend to get the same razz as you did once we get him back.”

“Maybe focus on getting his boyfriend back first before making such promises,” Natasha said.

Bucky inwardly grumbled at the teasing, but did his best to pay attention to what he was doing. Bucky hadn’t cleared out his section before he heard Steve huffing over the comms with, “Buck, some back up would be great over here. Sam, take over Bucky’s section.”

Bucky didn’t need to be told twice. He booked it toward Steve’s location, barreling through anyone or anything that got in his way. He punched at least three Hydra agents in the face as he blasted through the base.

Bucky kicked open the doors to where Tony had Steve pinned on the floor and had some laser shooting gauntlet aimed at Steve’s head.

Bucky inhaled sharply and Tony looked up.

There was fear and anger in Tony’s eyes, but it was soon wiped away by confusion.

Steve moved under Tony, like he was going to flip them, but Bucky signaled with his hand for Steve to stop.

Steve froze.

Tony looked down at Steve. Tony’s brow scrunched and he aimed his laser-gauntlet at Steve.

Bucky took a step forward and opened his mouth, but no words came out.

The Asset and the Mechanic had never spoken to each other with words. Their communication had always been actions.

Tony glanced at Bucky.

Bucky held out his hand, offering it to Tony. Internally he pleaded for Tony to recognize him and take his hand. If he could just get Tony to take his hand, Bucky knew everything would be alright in the end.

Tony lowered his gauntlet. He took one last look at Steve then slowly rose to his feet.  He marched up to Bucky, a deep frown on his face.

Bucky had to control his breathing as Tony placed himself right in front of him—their chests and legs just inches apart. Tony tilted his head up and cupped Bucky’s face. He scrutinized every detail.

Slowly, projecting every movement, Bucky cupped Tony’s hands with his own.

Tony’s gaze flicked to Bucky’s metal arm then back to Bucky’s face.

Cautiously, Tony slipped one hand out from Bucky’s, and glided his fingertips along the arm.

Tony’s sharp inhalation of surprise curled Bucky’s lips into smile.

Suddenly Tony’s arms were wrapped around Bucky’s waist. Tony tucked his head under Bucky’s chin and buried his face into Bucky’s chest. He breathed Bucky in deep, and Bucky in turn sighed and let himself slump against Tony as he returned the embrace.

His hands roved over Tony’s back and neck, cradling Tony to him.

Bucky closed his eyes and cherished the moment.

He had Tony back.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Winter and His Mechanic](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7901401) by [Littlehexy12](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Littlehexy12/pseuds/Littlehexy12)




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